1909-1915 the fire screen from the Nippon Kan theatre, Seattle, WA
After decades of being lost this 15 by 30 foot screen is one of the treasures displayed at the Wing Luke Museum in Seattle. The scrim was an extra large yellow pages for local Japanese-American companies. If you failed to pay your bill they painted over your spot. The restoration was guided by the asbestos content of the material – a clear resin-based product holds the pigments in place. The screen now graces the 59 seat Tateuchi Story Theatre at the Wing museum.
5280 Lens Mafia 
beautiful shot, Dawn. i’m totally drawn in by the screen and its independent designs, then gradually see the seats in the foreground and get the eeriest of feelings that i’m part of a ghost audience of about 50 people or so watching this almost as a performance. you know?
Thanks – it is a fascinating textile. It is interesting up close, but it gets better at a distance. I understand completely what you mean about the screen as a visual performance. The design is deceptively complex.
Love this. Lovely tone and color.
Thanks – hard to imagine it was nearly lost. The restoration took three and half months. It really is a community treasure. I have a few more images from the Wing Luke Museum to post. I thought this followed your tea cup image quite well – the same culture on either side of the Pacific Ocean.
I love this shot for the reasons Dawn cited. It’s so damn elegant.
Thank you very much – elegant is a nice word for that painted backdrop.
This is one of those shots that makes me wish I had a lot bigger monitor. Still, the light and shadowing you capture here are remarkable. Really great image.
The other element I love is the seats – this is a performance venue, which opens up a whole ‘nother set of expectations and dynamics.
The seats are the quiet players in the shot – waiting for the next audience. Thanks for the nice comments.